Happy Thanksgiving, Bogg
by Voyager Tip
Summary: Inspired by Dawn Owens' poem "Home", this story creates a situation in which Jeffrey could have written the poem.  Dawn read the first draft and gave her permission to include her poem in the body of the story. I hope you like it!
1. Resilience

_Author's Note: This story was a direct response to the poem called "Home" posted on this site by Dawn Owens. I love that poem. I e-mailed Dawn and told her I wanted to write about how it came to be written, if she would let me. Her enthusiastic encouragement led to my first draft, which she graciously agreed to read and then she gave me permission to print her beautiful poem in the body of my story. I hope you like it!_

_These characters were created by James Parriott and I am thankful to him for allowing all of us to write about them._

Happy Thanksgiving, Bogg

Chapter 1 Resilience

Phineas Bogg and Jeffrey Jones landed at dusk, on the hard gravel surface of an isolated alley. Bogg recovered first and immediately crawled over to Jeffrey who was slowly sitting up.

"Did it hit you?" Bogg asked urgently as he laid his hands on the boy.

"I don't think so," Jeff gasped, his voice shaking.

Phineas saw the arrowhead protruding out of his shirt collar and put his hands on Jeff's neck and moved them down to the arrow. When he felt the shaft of the arrow on the back of his hand and realized that it hadn't pierced Jeff's skin, he slumped down and took a deep breath. "There wasn't another, was there?"

"No."

The tremor in Jeff's voice as he answered had an instantaneous effect on Bogg and he pulled the boy onto his lap and held him tightly as he sat down hard on the gravel.

They sat together for several minutes, until Jeff finally spoke as he pushed himself away from Bogg's chest and sat up, "I'm okay now."

Phineas let him go and they separated. "I'm sorry," he whispered as he started to work the arrow out of Jeff's collar, "I got back as soon as I could."

"I know, it's okay."

They both got to their feet.

"So, where are we?" Jeff asked.

They walked single file through the alley to the end so Bogg could see the omni in the dimly lit area under the lamppost.

Bogg glanced around, "feel like guessing?" he asked, trying to lighten the mood. It was part of a game they often played.

Jeff smiled and looked around while Phineas relaxed again. He was always surprised by Jeff's ability to recover quickly from whatever horrors they experienced. Maybe that quality was the defining quality of a Voyager, he thought. Being resilient was vital out in the field.

"Well, there isn't much to see," Jeff began, breaking Bogg's train of thought. He watched the boy take in his surroundings. He stared at several crates piled up on the sidewalk beside them, the street lamp on the corner, a vehicle across the street and the general area. "A city, midwest United States, 1912?"

Bogg opened the omni, "Omaha, Nebraska, November 18th, 1917, red light," he answered, "not bad kid."

"Another red light?" Jeff asked. "Isn't this about the gazillionth red light in a row? I mean, I know you told me Voyagers don't get holidays or vacations, but, aren't you ready for a break, I know I am," Jeff's tirade made Phineas sigh.

"Yeah, me too Jeff, me too." He couldn't help thinking about their last mission, where Jeffrey had been literally seconds away from being tortured in the Amazon jungle, before Phineas could get there to omni him out. He'd set the omni to a green zone and they'd left in a hurry. Obviously it hadn't worked. "Let's just hope this one will be quick and the next will be a green light."

Suddenly a boy ran around the corner, too fast to stop. He knocked Jeff backward into the crates. The boy continued to run as Bogg heard the crates fall and caught him around the waist.

"Hey, that's far enough," Bogg said as he lifted him up with one arm and stretched his other hand out toward Jeff while the boy's legs were kicking in the air, as though he was still trying to run.

"Jeff?" Phineas' tone asked the question, and Jeff understood and answered.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

Phineas turned his attention back to the boy he was holding as a police officer ran up to them, followed by another man.

"Thanks for catching him," the officer said as he grabbed the boy's arm roughly.

"Hey, go easy," Bogg said in response to the rough treatment. He refused to relinquish the boy.

"Thank you for catching him," the man who had followed said after he caught his breath. Bogg could see he wore a priest's collar on his neck.

"Sir, you need to let go, this boy is a thief, and needs to be in jail for his own protection as well as to protect law abiding citizens." The officer was tall and dark haired and had a long scar across his left cheek. He was in uniform and held a billy club in one hand.

Bogg hesitated, unsure what to do. If he hadn't caught the boy, he would've gotten away, but now it seemed he would end up in jail. The officer didn't look very friendly either.

The priest stepped forward and took a sack out of the boy's hand, "these are the candlesticks from the altar of St. Patrick's," he said, and Bogg slowly lowered the boy to the street as the officer stepped forward.

"Come with me," he said and gripped the boy's arm tightly. Phineas let the boy go and watched the officer walk away with him.

"I'm Father Ed," the priest began extending his hand.

"Bogg, I'm bleeding!" Jeff's voice was strident as he said the words and Phineas turned to him immediately and realized he couldn't see him very clearly. He picked him up by the shoulders and moved him a few feet away where there was more light from the street lamp. Phineas could see he was staring at his hand, and that it was covered in blood.

He put him down and saw blood trickling down his neck from a cut on the side of his head, but Jeff's hand went to his knee and Bogg could see quite a bit of blood there as well.

"Bring him in here, it's close," Father Ed said, immediately grasping the situation. He led the way into the building that was on the corner and Bogg picked Jeffrey up again and carried him inside. He followed the priest into the kitchen and laid Jeff down on the table in the center of the room where Father Ed had hastily made room.


	2. Safety

Chapter 2 Safety

"Martha!" Father Ed called up the back stairs and Phineas grabbed a dishtowel off the back of a chair and pressed it against Jeff's head to stop the bleeding.

"It's gonna be okay," Bogg whispered as he held the towel against the cut.

"I didn't know it was..." Jeff said softly as he stared at his blood-covered hand, a shocked expression on his face.

"Shh, it's okay," Bogg whispered.

"Let me see," said a woman's voice and Bogg allowed her to approach from Jeff's other side and pull his hand away from the cut so she could view it. It had stopped bleeding. Then she moved to his knee and tore his pants to get a good look at it. "I can take care of this," Martha said calmly.

"It's all right," Father Ed said when Bogg glanced at him uncertainly, "she raised 6 sons, she knows what she's doing."

Phineas leaned back, allowing her easier access to Jeff, but still keeping one hand on the boy's shoulder.

Father Ed filled a basin of water for Martha and paused to look at the two newcomers. They were an oddly dressed pair, and he could see they were close, probably father and son. When he'd exchanged glances with Bogg, he had seen the worry in his eyes. He doubted that could be faked, at least not so as to fool him, he had seen a lot of different people in a lot of different situations, and these two seemed genuine.

"Ow," Jeff whispered as Martha cared for the wound on his knee.

"Just a bit longer," she said comfortingly, but didn't stop working.

Bogg squeezed his shoulder, "hey, it's gotta be better than the Amazon, huh?" he said, trying to distract him.

Jeff smiled as he grimaced again and a tear leaked out of his eye, "that's not saying much."

Phineas smiled back and motioned with his head to the kitchen, "better than a hut."

"Yeah," Jeff answered and winced, moving his knee away from her.

As Father Ed reached for Jeffrey's leg to hold it still, Phineas put his hand on the top of Jeff's head and stroked it with his thumb. "Just a little longer," he whispered.

Martha glanced up briefly from her work to examine the newcomers and exchange a glance with the priest. After what seemed like forever to Phineas, she finally said, "well, that's that," and moved up to Jeff's head. She gently pushed his head to the side so he was looking at Bogg's chest, and set to work.

As Phineas sat in that unfamiliar kitchen and realized they were safe, his heartbeat slowed down. His own reaction to Jeff's injury became apparent immediately and he was surprised by it. As he stood beside Jeffrey, he felt physically ill, even dizzy. The wounds were not in any way the worst ones he had ever seen. But his reaction couldn't be denied. It was at some very deep, visceral level, in his gut, and his brain. This was Jeff, and because of that, it was different from anything he'd ever felt. He reached to pull a chair toward the table so he could sit down, half-afraid he might faint. He'd never dreamed he could feel this way.

"So when were you in the Amazon?" Martha asked Jeff as she cleaned the cut on his head.

"Not too long ago," Jeff answered and winced again.

"Hold onto me," Phineas said, taking his hand and immediately feeling Jeff squeezing hard. A tribe in the Amazon had captured them during their most recent mission. It had been particularly difficult because the omni had been taken and they were kept apart and left to fear the worst about each other. Though neither of them had been physically injured, emotionally it had been very draining.

"Do you have a place here, to stay?" she continued, straightening up, indicating she was done.

"No, we just got into town," Bogg said, then leaned down and whispered in Jeff's ear, "it's over." As he straightened up he got a good look at Jeff. His head was turned to the side and his eyes were open, but he stared straight ahead at Bogg's shirt as if in a trance. "How bout a drink?" he asked and Jeff looked at him and nodded. Martha was already pouring some water into a cup when Phineas started trying to locate one, and he accepted it gratefully. He smiled as Jeff raised himself up on one elbow and took it. He drank it all.

"You were thirsty, huh?" he said, and Jeff nodded. Phineas slid his arm under Jeff's neck as he lay back down, so his head could rest on it instead of the hard tabletop. The contact felt good. He didn't like it that Jeff hadn't spoken to him. It wasn't like Jeff at all. Still, he had been through an awful lot, having this injury occur on the heels of their last mission. It might be too early for him to be acting like himself again. A good nights sleep was what he really needed. He squeezed Jeff's hand again, and when Jeff squeezed back, he saw a little smile play on his lips and felt better.

"That cut is deep and I don't want him walking very much on that leg for at least a day," Martha's voice interrupted Bogg's thoughts. He watched as she stood up and addressed Father Ed, "I'm not lettin em leave Father," and Bogg realized just how tall and imposing she was as she stood there, but her voice was soft.

"Martha, I wouldn't dream of taking your patient away," Father Ed told her and smiled.

"You can put him in the downstairs guest room," Martha said to Phineas as she walked down the hall.

"Time for a ride kid," Phineas said as he lifted Jeffrey, secretly glad for a chance to give him another hug.

"I can walk you know, or hop," Jeff started, reaching up to wipe his eyes with the back of his fingers.

"Just enjoy the ride, she looks pretty tough, I don't wanna get on her bad side," Phineas whispered with a grin as he carried him into a bedroom off the hall. He laid him down on the bed where Martha had turned down the covers.

She put a towel on the dresser next to a basin filled with water. "You should get washed up, have you eaten?"

"We'd appreciate anything you have," Phineas answered, thinking that Jeff would have answered first if this hadn't happened. He turned and picked up the basin, and placed it on the bed between Jeff's legs and helped him wash his hand and neck.


	3. Kindness

Chapter 3 Kindness

Phineas refilled the basin with clean water three times as he helped Jeffrey clean up. Finally, they were done and he left it in the kitchen and returned to the room.

"I can't believe I didn't know I was bleeding at first," Jeff finally said as he returned. He had been exceptionally quiet up to now, but as he sat there, Phineas realized how much better he looked and sounded.

"Well, a lot happened pretty fast, the same thing has happened to me. Adrenaline keeps you going through the worst of something and then after things calm down, sometimes you have a delayed reaction. Sometimes you don't even notice you're hurt at all until later."

A sudden rustling noise caused them both to look into the corner of the room. On another bed, a boy lay curled up on his side, watching them. He wore torn and dirty clothing and had short light red hair that was sticking out in all directions. He looked a bit older than Jeffrey.

"Hi," Phineas addressed him, but the boy just stared.

"I'm Jeffrey, this is Phineas Bogg," Jeff said in a friendly voice, thinking that the boy might have been scared to talk to a grown up. But the boy just stared and didn't say anything.

A knock at the door interrupted them and Bogg opened the door to let Martha enter with a tray and two bowls of stew. "Thank you so much," Phineas said, taking it from her and setting it down on a table beside the bed.

"When you're done, just leave the dishes in the sink," Martha told him, then turned to the boy across the room. "You might like this," she said and handed him a pad of blank paper and a pencil.

The boy took the pad and pencil and slid it under the bed as Martha left the room. He kept his eyes on Phineas and Jeff.

"Do you like to draw?" Bogg asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable at being stared at. There was no answer.

"Maybe you like to write?" Jeff asked, trying to draw the boy in.

After a few moments, they exchanged a glance and Bogg shrugged. "Well, let's get your leg up on a pillow," he said and retrieved one from a third bed in the room. Jeff lifted his leg and Bogg carefully positioned the pillow under his knee and lower leg. "How's that?" he whispered.

"Okay," but his next word was interrupted by a yawn, "thanks."

Bogg grinned as he sat down on the edge of the bed. "Feel like some stew?" he asked.

They polished off the stew and bread and then Jeff yawned again and laid back.

"Why don't you get some sleep, I'll stay close," Phineas told him as he reached for a quilt that had been folded at the foot of the bed. He stood up so he could spread it over Jeffrey, then turned and sat down in a chair beside a table in the corner of the room.

It wasn't very long before Phineas heard Jeff's slow even breathing. He sat watching the other boy out of the corner of his eye. When he didn't think he was being watched, he had his eyes on Bogg. After awhile, he got up and walked out of the room. Phineas stayed in the room for a while longer, to be sure he wasn't coming back and that Jeff was sleeping soundly before he got up and left.

He found Father Ed sitting at a desk in the next room and knocked to announce himself. He entered when the priest beckoned him to sit. He looked about five years older than Bogg, of average build, dark haired and clean-shaven. "Listen," Bogg began, "I can't thank you enough for letting us stay here," he said.

The priest held up his hand. "My pleasure, I was glad to get those candlesticks back."

"What will happen to the boy who stole them?" Bogg asked, still unsure he should have let the boy be taken away.

"I wouldn't worry about him," Father Ed said as he shook his head and chuckled. "It's ridiculous really."

Phineas stared at him, "what's ridiculous?"

Father Ed looked at him and shook his head, "everything," he paused, "you know that boy you're so concerned about?" he asked, and Bogg nodded. "Ten minutes ago he and his brother were sitting in my kitchen having a bowl of stew."

"What?"

"I know it's hard to imagine, but it's true. His brother helped him escape from Francis before they got 2 blocks away. And tomorrow he'll probably try to steal something else."

Bogg 's jaw dropped and he stared at Father Ed. Suddenly, he decided to use the direct approach. "Is there anything I can help you with? Anything at all?" he asked.

"Actually, there is," and Father Ed began explaining about the difficulties he was having with repairs to a building just up the street. He had intended to open an orphanage there, though at present there was no money to support it. Several of the workers had taken ill and the townspeople seemed to think it was a bad omen. Between that and the war, the project had lost the support of the locals and the bishop wouldn't commit some of the churches scant resources to the project. If the roof didn't get fixed pretty quickly, all the work done thus far would be ruined. "So, if you could help me get a roof on that building, I'd really appreciate it," he finished. "Of course, you can't really help me with my other problem."

"What's that?" Bogg asked.

"I'm going to leave the church," he said quietly.


	4. Father Ed's Problem

Chapter 4 Father Ed's Problem

"Why would you leave the church?" Phineas asked.

The priest looked at Bogg and shook his head. "I'm no good here. I can't do what needs to be done."

"What needs to be done?"

"The impossible."

"Tell me about it."

Father Ed took a breath and began to talk. "This is a church with a Mission. We serve troubled children. I'm the Assistant Pastor and I'm supposed to help them learn to cope with their problems, only…" he couldn't continue.

"Only what?" Bogg asked.

"I haven't been able to help any of them. Not one in the 4 years I've been here. The truth is, I'm a failure at this." There was a long silence. "I just don't know why God would put me here to be a failure?"

Phineas didn't know what to say. There was another period of silence, long and uncomfortable. And Phineas acknowledged to himself that even the best Voyager wasn't equipped to counsel a priest.

Father Ed smiled sadly and stood up. "Thanks for listening. It's time for both of us to get to bed."

ooOoo

The next morning Phineas brought Jeffrey breakfast in bed.

"Wow, this is great!" Jeff said as Bogg put the tray down on his lap. "You should do this more often!"

"Yeah right," Bogg joked, "like that's gonna happen." He smiled at Jeffrey, glad he seemed back to normal. "Well, enjoy what you can because the rest of the day probably won't be much fun."

"What do you mean?" Jeff asked, taking a bite of toast and shoveling eggs into his mouth hungrily.

"You have to stay off that leg as much as you can, remember?"

Jeff's face fell, "oh," he whispered.

"And since I'm going to start helping fix a roof down the street, I won't be around to help. So you might be alone," he paused, "I'm sorry I won't be here."

"Don't worry about me," Jeff answered, a warm feeling spreading through him. Even though he would be fine on his own, just knowing how Bogg felt about leaving him for the day made him feel good. "Tell me about the roof?"

Phineas shared with Jeff what he had learned last evening during his talk with Father Ed.

ooOoo

"You rented this building without a roof?" Bogg asked an hour later as he gazed up at the tall ladder, leaned precariously against the steeply sloped roof. Phineas had signed on to help with the repairs on the building up the street. He let Father Ed think it was in exchange for giving Jeffrey and him a place to stay until Jeff's leg was healed.

"It was the only thing I could afford," the priest answered, "but I do have the roofing materials, and we can work together."

"But doesn't the church have money?" Bogg asked.

"Not for this, I don't really have approval for this."

"Oh," Phineas whispered as he climbed up onto the roof and began to work, thinking that work must have stopped on this building abruptly, because the interior was almost finished, yet the roof was only half done, leaving the inside exposed to the weather. It just wasn't a logical way to build anything.

ooOoo

Jeff hopped out into the kitchen to find it empty. He sat down at the table and put his foot on another chair so he didn't have to bend his knee.

"What's the matter, do you miss your dad?" asked a mocking voice from the back doorway as a boy entered.

Jeff decided to ignore the nasty tone and try to be friendly. "Who're you?" he asked, noticing it was the boy from last night.

"Tony," he said and entered the kitchen, helping himself to one of the freshly baked rolls in a basket on the table.

Jeff waited, then decided he would try again, "I'm Jeffrey," he said extending his hand. After a short pause, Tony took it and they shook.

"Bogg's not really my dad," Jeff said, trying to start a conversation. He knew he'd hit a nerve when Tony's jaw dropped open.

"But," Tony began, then paused, "he washed your hand... I just thought ..."

Jeff felt embarrassed as he thought about what Tony must have seen and heard. He had been in a kind of shock, and Bogg had gently washed the blood off of his hand, arm and neck. Jeff could still hear his voice, it had been soft and comforting, and his touch had been gentle. He felt a lump in his throat as he remembered and forced the thought out of his mind. He needed to use a strong voice when he talked to this kid.

"I don't really like blood," he whispered uncomfortably with a half-smile. Bogg had taught him that it wasn't a good idea to show weakness in some situations and based on Tony's nasty tone of voice, he decided this just might be one of them. He hoped Tony wasn't going to start bullying him. He made his own voice friendly, and tried to change the topic.

"You were there in the room last night, weren't you? Where did you go?" Jeff asked.

"I had to get home," Tony said as he finished one roll and took a second.

Jeff let his comments sink in. This was strange. This kid had obviously spent the evening here, then left to go home to sleep, but was now back, apparently eating breakfast.

"So is he a priest too?" Tony asked.

"Who?"

"That guy, Bogg."

Jeff laughed, "no, definitely not a priest."

But Tony wasn't laughing, "who is he then?" he asked.

Jeff was glad to be on a different topic. "He's my friend, we travel together."

A loud noise from the hall interrupted them and Tony stood up suddenly and ran to the door. "Don't tell em I was here," he whispered and then was gone.


	5. Emotions

Chapter 5 Emotions

Martha entered the room a moment later, carrying a basket of potatoes. She eyed the basket of rolls and smiled. "How is your leg today?" she asked Jeff.

"Good," he answered, "thanks for taking care of me last night."

"Happy to do it," she said smiling. "I've got some chores I could use some help with, if you've got a mind to."

"Course," Jeff said without hesitating.

So Jeff spent the rest of the morning at the table, peeling apples and potatoes. At 12 o'clock, Father Ed and Phineas returned for lunch.

As Bogg walked in, his eyes found Jeffrey and he smiled. Other than having his leg up on a chair, the kid looked fine. He had obviously been helping with some chores and Bogg smiled to himself as he walked over to him.

"We're famished Martha, this guy's a maniac with the work!" Father Ed declared as she pointed to the sink, indicating that he wash up.

At the same time, Phineas knelt down beside Jeff and spoke quietly, even though he knew they would both be able to hear what he said in such a small room. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Jeff answered and they exchanged a brief hug.

"Looks like you helped out," Bogg observed as he released him.

Father Ed and Martha exchanged a knowing glance as she piped up, "he did all the peeling for the pie and stew tonight, so I got to the laundry early."

Father Ed nodded as he thought about his unlikely houseguests. Last evening had been a stressful time, and sometimes, people were not themselves during times of stress, but now that the crisis was over, it was clear that these two had a caring relationship. After working with him all morning on the roof, and observing his relationship with Jeffrey, he now felt he knew a good deal about Phineas Bogg and his respect for him increased.

Phineas squeezed Jeff's shoulder and stood up, moving to the sink to take his turn at washing up, oblivious to their reaction to his contact with Jeff.

They had a simple meal of sandwiches and fruit, and then left to continue their work.

ooOoo

"Well, if you hop, we can do some chores inside the church," Martha said, and paused for Jeff's answer.

Jeffrey was only too glad for the change of scenery, and followed her, hoping through a side door that led directly into the church sanctuary next door. He sat in a pew and put his leg up, waiting for instructions. As Martha handed him cleaning supplies, she explained that every fall, the interior of the church was given a thorough cleaning. His job would be to clean each pew, moving from one to another.

As he began, he was surprised to hear the rear door open and a small group of people enter and walk to the front. They called hello to Martha and waved to him. Soon he heard a piano playing and people singing. It didn't take him long to realize this was a choir rehearsal.

Suddenly he felt sick. His chest and stomach hurt and he felt tears in his eyes. They were doing scales to warm up. He had often accompanied his mother to choir rehearsal and heard these same scales as he did his homework or read. He suddenly realized with horrible intensity that he hadn't thought about his mom in some time. Even last evening, when he'd been hurt, it was Bogg that he thought of and clung to. He reached up and wiped his eyes so Martha wouldn't know he was upset.

Unfortunately, a few minutes later they started to sing and the music became like a lead weight in his stomach. It was a hymn of Thanksgiving and he knew it well. His mother had loved that hymn and sung it often.

He leaned down to clean the wood, trying to hide his face, but he needn't have worried. Martha was in the back pew on the other side of the church and couldn't see him without going out of her way. So he was left alone, to work and listen and cry as quietly as he could during the rehearsal.

After the rehearsal ended it was another hour before Martha said they were done for the day. She needed to make supper. By then, Jeff had recovered enough that he was sure she wouldn't notice how upset he'd been. He didn't know exactly why he wanted to keep it to himself, but he did.

"Why don't you rest back on the bed while I make supper," she told him as they returned to the rectory and he was very happy to do just that. He lay back on the bed, exhausted from all the emotions of the afternoon. He tried to make his mind a blank, afraid to let in any other memories of his mother.

"Jeff, supper's ready." It was Bogg's voice, whispering, as Jeff felt the side of the bed go down and a hand on his arm. He opened his eyes and realized Bogg was sitting on the bed beside him.

He opened his eyes, "guess I fell asleep," he whispered and sat up.

"You sure you're okay?" Bogg asked worriedly. It really wasn't like Jeff to take a nap, but on the other hand he had lost some blood, and he had worked for a few hours today. He was proud of Jeff for his willingness to help out.

"Yeah, let's eat," Jeff answered as he got up quickly. He suddenly had an overwhelming feeling that if he stayed too close to Bogg, he'd end up telling him about the memories of his mother and didn't trust himself not to cry again. For now, he decided, he wanted to keep this to himself.

Bogg watched him get up on the other side of the bed, without any friendly banter, and then hobble slowly into the kitchen. He seemed to want to stay away from Phineas, like he was avoiding him, but that couldn't be, could it? Phineas watched him in confusion, then followed him into the kitchen and sat down beside him at the table.


	6. Thankful

Chapter 6 Thankful

Once the meal was prepared, Martha called to Father Ed, who was still next door in the church. Phineas and Jeffrey were surprised when he entered the room, followed by three boys of varying ages, around 8, 10 and 13. It was obvious they were living on the streets, their clothes were practically rags and filthy dirty. One looked suspiciously like the thief from the previous evening. Another was Tony, the boy Jeff had met this morning.

They all sat down to the meal together and waited while the priest said grace, as though they had done this many times. Then they ate as if they were starving.

"Do any of you know what holiday is coming up next week?" Father Ed asked the boys when the pace of their eating had slowed. None of them answered and Bogg nudged Jeffrey's arm, as if urging him to fill in the answer. After a short pause, the priest continued, "it's Thanksgiving. Here at St. Patrick's, we have a tradition of trying to think of the things we are most thankful for during the week before Thanksgiving."

"I'm thankful I had such a good helper today, so I finished my chores early," Martha said, jumping into the conversation.

Phineas smiled at Jeff, but noticed he didn't seem very pleased to have been singled out. "I'm thankful we have a safe place to stay while Jeff's leg is healing," he added and looked at Jeff expectantly.

Jeffrey's gaze locked with Bogg's for a second before he looked away. He felt like he was letting Bogg down, but the truth was, he couldn't think of anything to say. He didn't feel thankful for anything. His thoughts flew to his mother and his mind went blank. The other boys were just as quiet.

"Well, it's something to think about anyway," Father Ed finished, and then began asking the boys each in turn about school, and their other activities.

After the meal, the adults retired to the living room and the boys played a game in the kitchen. Later on, Martha gave them sandwiches to take with them as they left.

ooOoo

"This sure seems like a crazy set-up to me," Jeff remarked to Bogg as he settled back in bed that night. "These kids steal from the church, and then eat meals here. I mean, where do they live? Tony talked about his parents, and Joe and Rick talked about their father. Don't their parents feed them? Who takes care of them? Martha sent them off with sandwiches like she didn't think they would get anything at home to eat."

"Well, it probably has something to do with why we're here," Phineas told him. "I've got a feeling if we stick around we'll figure out what needs to be done. And your leg still needs some rest, so we'll just have to keep trying to figure it out."

"You were right," Jeff said pulling up the covers with a yawn, "this is a lot better than the Amazon," and he was asleep before Phineas could answer.


	7. Father Ed's Dream

Chapter 7 Father Ed's Dream

"That's where you were all day yesterday?" Jeff asked the next morning as he gazed up at the tall ladder leaned precariously against the steeply sloped roof. They stood in front of the building with Father Ed.

"Yeah," Bogg answered Jeffrey and then turned to the priest, "so who needs to approve this project?"

"Bishop Harty."

Bogg stared at him, "what is there about an orphanage that he doesn't approve of?"

"My basic idea. You see, I've worked with men whose lives are miserable." He became more animated as he spoke, "do you know what they tell me they need?"

"What?" Bogg asked as Jeff looked on.

"Nothing," he paused. "What they tell me is that if I had helped them when they were boys, to find a home, their lives would have been different." He took a deep breath. "So, I dreamed of a new kind of orphanage. One where a boy could find a home, and people like parents who wanted him. Boys should grow up in a home, with a family, like I did." He paused, "orphanages today are places where children eat and sleep until they're old enough to leave and make room for the next child. A training ground for the criminals of tomorrow."

"You want to change that?" Bogg asked in a quiet voice.

"I think that there must be another way... the way of love and kindness... of training and teaching... of learning to do by doing. I'm convinced that erring and neglected boys could be trained by a system other than by bars and the cat o'nine tails, and developed into worthwhile citizens, and I want to create that other way."1 He spoke with such a passion that neither Jeff nor Phineas could take their eyes off him. "I have no financial backing, not even much sympathy, and certainly not much interest on the part of local citizens. Our soldier boys are over in the trenches of France, and mothers' hearts are with them."2

He paused and looked up at the building for a moment and when Phineas and Jeffrey kept silent, he continued. "I decided I wanted to spend my life in saving boys from becoming misfits and recruits to the army of crime. I've studied the program of our courts dealing with delinquents, and as far as I could see the only results were the constantly growing number of boys sent to the reform schools, and the additional expense of making reform schools larger. If you talk to adult criminals, they'll tell you that they started their careers as children. I just feel that there is something radically wrong with a system that produces so many criminals. The economic and social loss to society is abhorrent."3

There was a long pause before Jeffrey spoke. "We'll help you," he said with conviction.

Bogg sighed. "But, changing society is tough, Father."

"Society has changed through the ages, there just needs to be someone to start the change. And all I really want to do is help a couple of boys. That doesn't seem like too much, does it?"

"Okay, let's get to work," Phineas said. As Father Ed walked around the corner of the building to get some materials, Jeff turned to Bogg, "listen," he paused, "it looks kind of dangerous up there, just be careful, okay?"

Phineas was touched, as he was every time Jeff expressed concern for his safety.

"I'll be careful," he whispered giving Jeff's shoulder a squeeze. "There's painting you can help with inside, while we finish the roof. Just stay off that leg, okay?"

So they worked all morning, and then went back to Martha's kitchen for lunch. By mid afternoon the roof was finished and Phineas and Father Ed joined Jeffrey inside to finish up the painting before the evening meal.

Back in the rectory, just as supper was served, there was a quiet knocking on the back door and Tony entered slowly. His expression was angry.

"Wash up," Martha greeted him as though he belonged there, but Jeffrey knew he didn't.

Tony scowled and moved quietly to the sink to wash his hands. The evening was a repeat of the previous evening, except there was no talk of Thanksgiving and Jeffrey was glad about that. After the meal, the boys were again left to play cards in the kitchen while the adults moved to the living room. As Jeffrey started to shuffle the cards, Tony reached across the table and grabbed the deck out of his hands.

"I'll deal first," he said nastily.

Quick as a flash, Jeffrey snatched it back, "not when you grab em like that," he said hotly.

Tony reached across the table and grabbed Jeff's shirt in his fist. He pulled Jeff toward him, pushing back his own chair so forcefully that it tipped over and hit the floor loudly.

Jeff grabbed Tony's shirt with one hand and tried to pry open his fist with the other. As they struggled, Jeff felt a firm hand on his arm and Father Ed's voice.

"That's enough! Both of you!" the priest said forcefully.

Bogg got to the kitchen a second after Father Ed and pulled Jeffrey away from Tony, whose grip had loosened.

"What're you doing?" he whispered to Jeff in a stern voice.

"He started it," Jeff explained angrily.

"Into my office," Father Ed's commanding voice could be heard, and Jeff and Bogg saw Tony walk out of the kitchen and into the hall without argument. Father Ed followed him. He glanced at Phineas as he left the room and mouthed the words "sorry."

Suddenly Phineas and Jeffrey were standing alone in the small kitchen. Jeff stared at the floor as an uncomfortable silence stretched out between them. Phineas stood beside him, staring at him and thinking. He wished he knew what to say.

"Did you hurt your leg again?" he finally asked, but despite the content of the question, Jeff could hear the anger in the tone, it was businesslike and cold.

"No," Jeff answered in a small voice.

"Tell me what happened."

"He grabbed cards out of my hand."

"That's it? You got into a fight over that?"

"I grabbed em back, then he grabbed me."

"Does this strike you like something a Voyager would do?" Bogg lectured in that still angry voice.

Jeff stood mutely, continuing to stare at the floor.

"Sit," Phineas ordered, and then righted the chair that had been knocked over and pulled it around beside Jeffrey. His next words were in a much kinder tone, "what's going on with you?"  
"I'm sorry," Jeff said, but he didn't look up.

"That's fine, but I want to know what's wrong. Why did this happen? This isn't like you."

"I don't know," Jeff said softly, and he knew it wasn't a good enough answer, but it was the truth. The silence continued and Jeff realized that Bogg wouldn't let this go. He looked up and their eyes met.

"You can tell me," Phineas whispered, "I might be able to help."

"I said I didn't know!" Jeff shouted angrily as tears sprang to his eyes.

Bogg paused, his mind in a turmoil. He felt frustrated and upset and unsure of how to respond.

Jeff was in shock. He had yelled at Bogg before, but never like this. He tone had been hateful and it had come out so fast, without warning.

After a long pause, Bogg answered in a soft, caring voice, "you're not alone you know."

Jeffrey swallowed hard, "I know."

"And sometimes I'm pretty smart," he paused, "well about some things anyway," Phineas finished and they both half smiled.

A noise in the hall made them both look up. Tony walked into the kitchen, followed by Father Ed.

"I'm sorry I grabbed the cards," he said in a stiff voice.

"I'm sorry I grabbed em back," Jeff answered, and watched as he left through the back door and the priest retired to his study.

Jeff sniffed and Phineas leaned in, "come here," he whispered as he pulled him into a hug. Jeff put his arms around Bogg and closed his eyes as two tears leaked out.

"All I want to do is help," Bogg said as they separated.

"I know," Jeff said, wiping his eyes.

After a short silence, Bogg took a deep breath and sighed, "well, how 'bout we try to get some sleep, I'm exhausted from working on that roof all day."

"Yeah, me too," answered Jeff, and he meant it.

_Author's Note: References 1, 2 and 3 were direct quotes taken out of a letter written by Father Ed. He was very passionate about his project and I wanted to use his words. I will explain more about him at the end of the story._


	8. Support

Chapter 8 Support

At breakfast the next morning, they were informed that it was Sunday and they were expected to attend church. It was a short walk and Jeffrey limped reluctantly to the church next door. Bogg followed Jeff into a rear pew.

As he sat down, he looked around at the people gathered. This was a place of peace, he could feel it in the air. Once in awhile, he found a church like this during his Voyages, but not often enough. He relaxed and sighed, closing his eyes, and giving in to the peaceful vibrations around him. So often, he didn't have time to recover from one voyage, before he was thrown into another. He rarely got the chance to sit still in such a safe, peaceful place. He took a slow, deep breath. He didn't have to think about what to pray for. When he found a place like this, he always prayed for the same things, wisdom and humility. This time however, he added another prayer and he knew it would be one he would always include. He thanked God for giving him Jeffrey, to care for and to love. Since meeting Jeff, he had realized how empty his life had been without him.

He watched as Father Ed walked up front to start the service, and suddenly he somehow understood that this wasn't a crisis of faith, there was plenty of faith here. This was a crisis of vocation. Father Ed needed to run that new orphanage. He'd thought he'd known it before, but now he was certain. Somehow they had to make that orphanage a reality; the way Father Ed envisioned it.

As the service progressed, Phineas saw out of the corner of his eye that Jeff's shoulders were slumped down and his eyes stared at the floor. He kept his gaze off to the side, toward the wall. Bogg suddenly knew, as surely as if the words were written out, that something reminded Jeffrey of his parents. This had happened before, sometimes happened when he least expected it. Phineas reached out and touched his shoulder and almost immediately, Jeffrey moved closer and leaned his head against the side of Bogg's chest. Phineas could tell he had been crying, but not the usual sobs, in fact Jeff's shoulders weren't shaking at all. He was simply sitting there letting tears fall down his cheeks in silence. Phineas squeezed his shoulder and they sat together until the end of the service. This was a new reaction, one Phineas hadn't seen before.

He knew it might sound stupid to someone else, but the truth was that his heart ached when Jeff was suffering because he was suffering too. It was strange to think that just over a year ago he hadn't even known Jeffrey, and yet now he cared about him so much.

"You okay?" he asked Jeff as they continued to sit in the quiet sanctuary after the service ended.

Jeff didn't answer. He reached up and wiped the tears from his face and took a deep breath.

Phineas decided to try again, "do you want to talk about it?"

Jeff shook his head, then stood up and limped away from his partner without saying a word. Phineas was upset, Jeff had never shut him out before. He still wasn't sure what had been going on last evening, and now this. He watched Jeff leave worriedly.

"You okay?" Phineas was startled by a voice nearby. He looked up and saw that Father Ed was sitting sideways in the pew in front of him, undoubtedly so they could talk.

"Yeah," he whispered.

"Jeffrey seems upset," he observed.

Bogg nodded, and before he knew it, he was telling him Jeff's story. He ended with, "so I don't know exactly what's bothering him now, but he usually talks to me. I don't like it when he won't talk."

"He may not know how he feels himself," Father Ed said kindly. "I saw you sitting together and he was leaning on you for comfort. I wouldn't worry about his silence."

"I think it's the music. Something about the music is making him really," Bogg paused, not sure what he wanted to say, "sad," he finished softly.

"I know it's hard not to worry, but I've been watching him, and he's interacting with people, he's friendly, he seems to be doing fine. I take it that fighting is not usually a problem with Jeff?"

"No, I don't know what got into him last night."

"Well, anger is one part of grieving. If something is reminding him of his parents, it's not surprising that he feels angry. And angry people get into fights. Tony is a very angry boy. That wasn't the first time he's started a fight. I'm sure Jeffrey is fine."

Bogg shrugged, "I just wish I could figure out what to do to help him."

"You are helping him," Father Ed said quietly.

Bogg shook his head, "I doubt that."

"You're giving him unconditional love and affection. That's why he's free to grieve like this. You don't realize what a blessing you are to him. I see children like Jeff all the time, and most of them are very angry. Many of them don't have someone who cares as much as you do. Even those that do, still can't seem to begin the healing process." Father Ed paused, "so if you're not his father, are you his uncle?"

Bogg hesitated, he never quite knew what to say to questions like that. Usually he would let the lie stand and pretend Jeffrey was his nephew. For some reason, he decided to tell Father Ed the truth.

"We were accidentally thrown together in an emergency and we spent a lot of time together. I take care of him now, we're like family."

Father Ed stared at him, "you took in a stranger? A child you didn't know? One who was grieving the loss of both parents?"

Phineas shrugged, "well, it was either that or send him back to his aunt who didn't want him and told him so, or leave him in an orphanage. I just couldn't do it. Anyway, by the time the emergency was over, we felt so close that he didn't want to leave me either."

"So you just …", Father Ed paused and a long silence ensued.

"Stayed together, yeah," Bogg filled in the answer.

Father Ed sat in silence pondering what Bogg had said. "I wonder if Jeffrey knows how lucky he is?" he finally said.

"I feel like I'm the lucky one," Bogg whispered.

"Well, the Lord does work in mysterious ways," replied the priest.

Bogg sighed, "I guess I'll go make sure he's okay," and he got up and walked through the side door of the sanctuary, directly into the rectory. The kitchen was empty and he continued into their bedroom but found no sign of Jeff. He began to worry. Jeff had been upset, and he needed to find him, but where would he go?


	9. Counsel

Chapter 9 Counsel

Jeff walked out of the church slowly. He wanted to be alone, but he didn't know where to go. He'd often thought that one of the down sides of traveling with Bogg was the lack of privacy. They were almost always together. As he thought about it, he smiled when he realized that every time they were apart, he didn't feel right until they were back together again. It was ironic that he felt he could have both too much and too little contact with Bogg at the same time.

"I must be crazy," he whispered aloud, shaking his head. It was a wonder Bogg could put up with him. How could Bogg understand him when he couldn't even understand himself?

He sighed and made his way over to a stone bench on the far side of the steps into the church. He sat quietly, listening to the birds and enjoying the fresh air. This was a peaceful place. He was startled when he felt someone sit down beside him. He was annoyed to think that Bogg couldn't give him some time alone, but when he looked, he realized it was Father Ed who was sitting there.

"Phineas told me about your parents," Father Ed began and Jeff again felt annoyed with his partner. This time for sharing his personal information with this stranger.

Phineas opened the front door of the rectory, and walked onto the landing. He stood looking around worriedly, until he spotted Jeff quite a ways up the street, sitting with Father Ed and talking. He paused, trying to decide what to do. Father Ed was a good man, and had experience with children who had undergone hardships. Maybe it would be okay to let them talk. Suddenly he reached a decision. He trusted Father Ed and Jeffrey needed something that he apparently couldn't give him. Maybe it was time to let go just a bit.

So he stood on the step, nervously shifting his weight from side to side, and watched the two of them. It was quite awhile before the priest got up and headed back. He paused at the bottom of the steps and looked up at Phineas. "He'll come in when he's ready," he said as he climbed the stairs and opened the door, motioning Phineas to enter.

Jeff came inside a half-hour later and found Bogg sitting at the kitchen table, peeling potatoes and carrots for the noon meal with Martha.

"Can I help?" Jeff asked.

Phineas looked up, and smiled, "you're three potatoes behind."

Jeff walked in and sat down and together they peeled the rest of the vegetables while Martha checked on a roast she had placed in the oven earlier.

As they worked, Bogg eyed Jeffrey in disbelief. He seemed happy.

"We should check out the town," Jeff said. "We've been here for a few days and all we know is this house and where we worked," then he smiled.

"Great idea. After lunch we'll explore," Phineas answered with a smile.


	10. The Bishop

Chapter 10 The Bishop

They strolled through the neighborhood, looking around. They headed down a dead end street when they heard the excited cries of children. Some of the local children were playing stickball in the street, and they joined in. Jeffrey couldn't run the bases, so his team let him hit and Bogg ran the bases for him.

When it was over, they sat on a nearby patch of grass and shared an egg cream from a shop across the street. It was a very pleasant afternoon and was starting to get dark as they walked back. Phineas smiled as he rested his hand lightly on Jeff's shoulder.

"This was fun," Jeff said as they walked.

"Yeah," Phineas agreed "and I finally got to see what an egg cream tastes like."

"They're better in New York," Jeff said emphatically.

Bogg smiled to himself, "you really hit that ball."

"Told you I was clean-up man on my Little League team," Jeff said excitedly, but then, just as suddenly he stopped talking.

"What's up?" Bogg asked.

Jeff shook his head, "nothing," he answered, thinking about how his mother had never missed a game.

As they entered the rectory, they heard men's voices. It sounded like a serious discussion.

"But this is different, Ed, the boys will be with you overnight. It could work," a new voice said.

"I'm sorry, but I'm just no good at this Bishop," Father Ed's voice could be heard. "I don't think I can make it work."

Phineas and Jeff stood uncertainly in the doorway, unnoticed by either man, "what's the new idea?" Phineas asked. "Excuse me, but I couldn't help overhearing."

Bishop Harty turned and stood up as Father Ed introduced them.

"We've just been playing stickball with the kids around here, maybe we could give you a fresh opinion about what you're doing," Bogg said.

There was silence as the Bishop sized them up. "All right, this is a proposal for a series of lock-ins." Bogg looked confused, so the Bishop continued, "a lock in is where the boys we service spend a full 24 hours, including an overnight, in the church, with Father Ed. They'll do a variety of activities that are designed to be fun and therapeutic. Once a week for a month."

Bogg nodded, "oh."

"It won't work," Jeff said without hesitation.

"Why not?" Bishop Harty asked. Jeff felt a bit uncomfortable addressing him, but continued anyway. "Look, I know these kids. I've eaten with them and played with them. And no matter what you do for them, it won't change the fact that they live with people who don't want them. As long as they go home to that at night," he paused, "nothing will change."

Father Ed paused for only half a beat, "which is why I want this new orphanage to give them a home. Adults who can help them, and teach them, one adult for every six boys, in a place where they're wanted," he paused again.

Bishop Harty sighed. "Ed, we've been through this. A home is a great idea, but an orphanage can't be a home. You need parents and a separate place to live to make a home. In an orphanage, the children can get their food and shelter, and then programs like ours can give them something more. There's no other way to do it."

"But a home can be other things beside 2 parents living together, or even one," Father Ed answered. "You've got to think of MY vision of an orphanage, not the one you're used to."

"He's got it right Bishop," Jeff interrupted. "I lived with my aunt, and had food and a warm bed to sleep in every night, but it wasn't a home. If I hadn't met Bogg, I would have run away sooner or later and I would've been living on the streets, just like the kids you want to help with this lock-in." Jeff said the words quietly, but both Phineas and Father Ed were listening intently. "And I'll tell you something else," he continued, "if I heard there was a place I could run away to, where someone wanted me? I'd go straight there." He paused again, "I'm not stupid, and neither are Tony or Rick or Joe."

Bishop Harty sighed, "we've already been over this... again and again. It's time for me to go," and with that statement, he stood up and let himself out through the front door.

Father Ed and Phineas stared at each other for a long time, until Jeffrey broke the silence.

"Excuse me, I have to go," he said suddenly.

"Sure," the priest smiled sadly. "Kids," he remarked to Phineas, "always doing something."

Phineas watched Jeff leave, a bit surprised by the abrupt exit, considering how upset Father Ed was. Still, maybe it was good for Jeff to take a break from what was happening. All this talk about orphanages must hit quite close to home.


	11. Together

Chapter 11 Together

Jeffrey walked quickly to the bedroom and over to the bed in the corner. He took the pad and pencil Tony had left under it and laid down on his bed and began to write. Bogg found him there almost an hour later.

"What're you doing?" he asked.

"Nothing," Jeff answered as he erased something on the page and continued writing.

Bogg stared at him, "okay," he finally said.

"When is the bishop coming back?" Jeff asked.

"Tuesday, I think, why?"

"No reason."

They had sandwiches for supper and then it was time for bed. Jeffrey had been doodling on that pad most of the evening, but had refused to show Phineas what he was doing. Bogg sighed and sat down on the second bed and pulled off his boots, wondering what was going through Jeffrey's mind. He stretched out on the bed and put his hands behind his head as he closed his eyes. The next thing he knew he was being shaken.

"Bogg," Jeff said again, and Phineas finally opened his eyes.

"You're pretty wide awake," he observed.

Jeff smiled, "I slept great! How about you?"

Bogg stood up and calmly picked Jeff up and turned him upside down without any warning.

"I'm fine, and you've gotta stay off that leg."

"Hey! Put me down!" Jeff demanded laughing as Bogg set him right and tousled his hair.

They were both chuckling when they sat down at the breakfast table.

"What's so funny?" Tony asked with a scowl on his face. He had obviously just arrived and was eating another warm roll.

Jeff took a deep breath and tried to keep a straight face as he answered, "inside joke".

It was Monday, and work on the building was still needed, so they headed there after the meal. Bogg smiled as he watched Jeffrey. He was walking pretty well, but it was his body language that made him smile. He seemed relaxed and happy, back to his old self. Phineas didn't know exactly what had bothered him about being in church, or what Father Ed had told him, but whatever had happened, he seemed to have worked through it.

ooOoo

They worked all morning and afternoon, with a break for lunch like usual. As they walked back to the rectory for supper, Jeffrey spoke.

"Hey Bogg?"

"Yeah?"

"Did I tell you that Tony's not very nice to me?"

"Yeah, you did."

"Know what I figured out?"

"What?"

"I think he's jealous," Jeff said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he has two parents that don't take care of him. I saw bruises on his arms... Bogg, I think they hit him."

Bogg's stomach tightened, he hated to think it was true, but he'd seen enough of life to know that where money was tight, there was likely to be violence, and Tony's clothes were in tatters, it sure looked like money was tight. "Maybe something we do will help him?" he offered, trying to comfort Jeffrey.

But, Jeff didn't seem to need comforting, he continued talking, "he's mean to me because I have you, and he's jealous. And you aren't even my dad."

Phineas put his hand on Jeffrey's shoulder as they continued on. He didn't know what to say.

Jeffrey stopped and turned to him when they reached the steps of the rectory. "It's not fair," he said and his voice broke. He looked up at Bogg and continued in a voice charged with emotion, "I've had 3 people to take care of me, and Tony hasn't even had one."

Bogg stared at him, "I don't know what to say kid, bad things happen, we both know that."

Jeff smiled and gave him a firm hug. "You don't have to say anything," he told him as he felt Bogg's arms return the embrace.


	12. The Red Light

Chapter 12 The Red Light

They entered and sat down to another one of Martha's excellent meals. Afterwards, Jeff helped with the dishes and Phineas found Father Ed in his study.

"What did you say to Jeff yesterday?" Bogg asked him.

"Not too much, why?" Father Ed answered.

"He just seems so much better," Bogg couldn't continue, his voice gave away his emotions.

Father Ed nodded and smiled, "I had a feeling he might."

"So what did you say to him?"

"We talked off and on while we sat. He's very articulate and he understands himself very well for someone so young."

"But what did you say to him?" Bogg asked again.

"I told him a little about grief, asked him a few questions and let him fill in the answers. He told me some things about you as well as himself."

Phineas paused realizing that Father Ed wasn't going to tell him what had been said. He also realized that he didn't care. Jeff was okay and that was really all that mattered. Something else too, there was something about Father Ed that Bogg felt he could trust. Here was a good man. So he made the decision not to press any more.

"I wonder what he said about me?"

"I have a feeling he'll tell you himself, eventually," Father Ed responded, and Phineas shook his head and smiled at another non-answer.

ooOoo

The evening was quiet, and Jeff continued to write on the tablet, often erasing and changing whatever it was that he was working on. The following day was Tuesday, and they finished up work on the inside of the building.

"This is amazing, it really looks like a place you could live in," Jeff observed.

"It won't be anything unless I get some financial support from the Bishop," Father Ed replied.

That evening, the Bishop rang the bell at 7 PM and entered Father Ed's study. Before they could get started, Jeffrey entered and interrupted.

"Bishop, I think the reason you won't give support to Father Ed's orphanage idea is that you don't understand that a home can be a lot of different things to a lot of different people," Jeff began.

"Now really son,"

"No, hear me out!" Jeff raised his voice and the Bishop glanced at the priest, then nodded.

"Okay," Jeff began, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the paper that Bogg had seen him writing on. "Bogg and me, we travel around a lot... a lot. And this is my idea of home," and he handed the paper to the Bishop and stared at him expectantly.

Bishop Harty unfolded the sheet and began to read.

ooOoo

The Bishop read the paper to himself while Bogg and Father Ed exchanged looks and Bogg shrugged. Jeff's eyes stayed on the Bishop, and when he finished reading, he stared back at the child.

There was silence in the room as the Bishop sat thinking. Finally he sighed. "I was considering approving your project before, but I couldn't make a final decision. It could have gone either way. I guess this is just one more reason you should go ahead."

Father Ed straightened up, surprised, "you mean you'll fund it?" he asked in disbelief as Phineas caught Jeff's eye and smiled in the background.

The Bishop nodded "yes, I'll fund it," he answered as he stood up. He turned toward Jeffrey and handed the paper back to him. "Thank you for sharing this with me," he said and then left.

Father Ed leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes, "I can't believe this, meeting you two is the best thing that's happened to me in a long time. What was on the paper?"

Jeff smiled at him and shrugged while Bogg took out the omni and opened it. When his smile fell, Jeff moved over next to him to see the omni too, a red light.


	13. Home

Chapter 13 Home

Later they were getting ready for bed. "So what DID you write on that paper anyway?" Bogg asked, his curiosity finally getting the better of him. Jeff had refused to show him before tonight, so he didn't really expect him to show him now, but he had to admit that he was more than a little curious, especially after seeing the Bishop's reaction to it.

Jeff turned to him, took the paper out of his pocket and handed it to him.

Bogg sat down and took it. Then he began to read.

_Home *_

_It means so much_

_To so many._

_Defined differently_

_To everybody._

_Home for me_

_Is not a house._

_It's not a place._

_My home _

_Has no walls._

_No roof,_

_No doors._

_There is no_

_Room of my own._

_No place for toys and things_

_What I need_

_I carry with me._

_What I don't need_

_I leave behind._

_My home is better _

_Than any house_

_Ever built._

_My home_

_Are two strong arms._

_They shut out the world_

_Better than any four walls_

_Ever could._

_My home_

_Are two shoulders._

_Big enough_

_To carry all my fears._

_My home_

_Are two hands_

_Both_

_Strong and gentle_

_To wipe away all my tears._

_My home does_

_Have a hearth._

_It's tender beat_

_Sometimes lulls me to sleep_

_This hearths fire,_

_Of gentle loving warmth_

_Never flickers_

_Or falters._

_My home_

_Has a name..._

_Bogg._

_Wherever we go_

_I am home._

When Phineas finished reading, he sat quietly looking at the paper. "This is... beautiful," he said in a soft voice.

In the silence that followed, Jeff moved to sit beside him on the edge of the bed. "I've been having a hard time since we got here. A lot of things reminded me of my mom. Thanksgiving was her favorite ..." he stopped and swallowed hard. "And it seemed like I hadn't thought about her in a long time. I'm sorry I haven't been very nice to you."

"This is pretty nice," Bogg said in a voice full of emotion.

"It's true too," Jeff said. He leaned his head against Bogg's shoulder and slid his arm around his back.

They sat in silence for a moment before Bogg spoke.

"All I care about is whether you're okay."

"I am," Jeff replied and smiled.

On a hunch, Bogg reached for the omni and opened it, "green light," he whispered.

"I guess you had to read that poem, huh?" Jeff said and Bogg smiled too.

"I guess."

"But, that means we have to leave," Jeff said quietly.

"Well, I've been thinking about that. Since we wanted a green zone next anyway, and your leg still hasn't healed completely, why don't we stick around here, for awhile, what do you think?"

Jeff nodded, "I'd like that."

"Can I keep this?" Bogg asked, meaning the poem, and when Jeff nodded, he folded it up and slipped it into his pocket. He didn't carry much with him, but he wanted to keep this scrap of paper.

_* This poem was written by Dawn Owens and is posted on the Voyagers! Fanfiction site. It inspired this story. Special thanks to her for allowing me to include it._


	14. The Beginning

Chapter 14 The Beginning

The next morning, Father Ed moved himself and them into the building up the street and hung up a sign that read "Father Flanagan's Boys' Home". Then he went out into the streets and came back with Tony, Rick and Joe. It was obvious when they arrived that they were going to stay. They had a few belongings and each chose a bed in one of the large, inner rooms.

Jeff stood at the window and stared out at the sign for so long that Bogg wondered if he was okay. "What's up?" he asked, but when Jeff turned to him, he knew things were all right. Jeff had that familiar glint in his eye. "Okay, what have you figured out?"

"Father Flanagan," he paused, "all this time we've been calling him Father Ed and I didn't even realize. Bogg, this is the start of Boys' Town."

"What's Boys' Town?"

"Probably the most famous orphanage in this country. It revolutionized the way orphanages were run."

"So Father Ed really did change things?"

"You wait, this building will be crowded before you know it. Eventually he'll move outside of town and it will become a real town of its own. I saw a famous movie about it on the Late Show. I think it was made in 1938. It won all kinds of awards. Father Ed will be famous, but only to people who care about things like this."

Bogg moved next to Jeff and put a hand on his shoulder as he stared at the sign too. "This is what's great about being a Voyager," he said.

"Yeah," Jeff agreed.

Later, Martha brought supper over and they all sat down to eat. Halfway through the meal there was a knock at the door. Father Ed got up and opened it and a boy walked in, carrying a younger child who was asleep.

"Here, I'll take him, he must be heavy," the priest began and reached for the child, but the boy holding him spoke in a clear voice.

"He ain't heavy Father, he's my brother," he said and Father Ed smiled at him. He motioned to a second room off to the side.

"Put him here, on the bed, and come have some supper, son."

The boy obeyed, and when he got to the table, Martha had a steaming bowl of soup in front of a vacant chair.

The boy ate quickly, as though he was starving.

"How did you find me?" Father Ed asked.

"Officer O'Reilly finally caught me, but when he saw my brother, instead of taking me in, he brought us here. Just left us on the front steps and said this was a home for us." He paused, "I'd like to stay, if I can. I'll work, I just want Tommy to have a safe place to sleep."

"Hey, Officer O'Reilly's caught me a lot of times too, and he always let me escape," Rick offered.

"That was you with the candlesticks, then?" Bogg said to Rick and he nodded. "I didn't think he looked too friendly at the time."

"He looks mean, and sounds mean, but he's fed me more than once," Tony added.

Bogg sat back in his chair and exchanged a look with Jeff, who smiled.

Another knock at the door interrupted them as the meal ended. "This is getting ridiculous," Martha said as Father Ed went to the door once more. Officer O'Reilly stood there holding the shirt collars of two boys who didn't look like they wanted to be there.

"Sorry to bother you Father," the officer began, "but these two are gonna end up dead if they don't learn to stay out of trouble. I'd like to try leaving them with you instead of taking them to jail, if you don't mind that is."

"Thank you Francis, I'm glad to have them."

The officer turned to address the boys, "if you leave here, it's into jail with you, and with the likes of the men in there, you might not come out. Do you understand?"

"Yeah," both boys answered.

O'Reilly touched his hat and smiled as he left, and Father Ed invited the boys to have supper.

"I wonder how many kids he'll get here before he has to move to a bigger place?" Bogg asked Jeff as they settled down for the night.

Jeff yawned, "he had a plaque made up with that saying on it and it became famous, kind of like a motto for Boy's Town."

"What saying?"

"He ain't heavy Father, he's my brother," Jeff answered softly and Bogg could tell he would soon be asleep.

The END

_Author's Note:  
Father Edward J. Flanagan originally established Boy's Town in 1917 as a home for orphaned and abandoned boys. Today, Boys Town directly cares for more than 27,000 boys and girls annually in fourteen states and the District of Columbia. Boys Town programs include education, residential homes, emergency shelters, foster-care, family counseling, and a medical research hospital. At the 900-acre home campus in Boys Town, Nebraska, 550 girls and boys in grades 3-12 live and attend school. _

_Boys Town, formerly Girls and Boys Town and Father Flanagan's Boys' Home, is a non-profit organization, dedicated to caring for its children and families, with national headquarters in the village of Boys Town, Nebraska. The property was listed as a National Historic Landmark on February 4, 1985._


End file.
